Orkay workers lathicharged

MUMBAI, January 7: One worker had a cracked skull while around 22 others had minor injuries when police lathicharged employees of Orkay I...

MUMBAI, January 7: One worker had a cracked skull while around 22 others had minor injuries when police lathicharged employees of Orkay Industries who were holding a dharna at the Azad Maidan today.

While the police claim the workers, under the banner of Orkay Industries Workers8217; Union, had resorted to stone-throwing, the activists denied it adding that the police had charged on peaceful workers who were only demanding that the government listen to their grievances. The union has demanded an immediate inquiry into the action of PSI Sadik Bagwan who hit the worker which led to the injury.

Employees of the Orkay Industries, a group of four textile mills, Orkay Silk Mills, Subhash, Rajesh and Vijay Industries at Sakinaka, Andheri owned by Kapal Mehra and his brothers, have been witnessing an illegal closure of all their mills one by one since November 1997. The last of the mills, Vijay Synthetics closed in March 1998. While the workers have not been paid yet, according to the employees8217; advocate and advisor,Gayatri Singh, large sums of money have been siphoned off from the mills to bogus paper-companies. Even the statutory dues of the workers, including their gratuity, provident fund dues and society dues have been misappropriated. The workers are demanding that the state government take over the Orkay Silk Industries, order a CBI inquiry into siphoning off of Rs 300 crore by the Mehra brothers and reopen the lock-out at Vijay and Subhash mills. Today8217;s dharna was the second time the union had hit the streets. Last month, the workers went around the Sakinaka area seeking government8217;s intervention. The union have also filed a case in the Bombay High Court.

The dharna at the Azad Maidan started from Charni Road at around 11 am today where around a thousand workers, with black ribbons on their mouths 8211; since they had not been given permissions to carry placards or raise slogans 8211; participated.

According to Janardhan Upadhyaya, 38, who had to undergo stitches, the workers were waiting at the Azad Maidan whenthe news came in that none of the ministers were available for meeting the delegation of the workers. Since neither the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister or the Labour Minister were in the city. At this point, the workers thronged the gates of the Azad Maidan trying to march out to Mantralaya, when the lathicharge began.

Upadhyaya, who has been working with Vijay Synthetics for the past 18 years, was given five to six stitches at the G T Hospital.

8220;According to the Bombay High Court directives, there can be no morchas around this area,8221; said the deputy commissioner of police, K L Bishnoi, 8220;so we had to restrain them. But then they started pelting stones on our constables.8221; He claimed that one PSI Bhagwan was injured along with four constables who had been sent to the St George Hospital.

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Later, a delegation led by Gayatri Singh met the additional home secretary Karun Srivastava who could only assure them that a report would be taken from the police officers and an inquiry conducted.